Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-09-14

They got good start. They were launch
ed on the world with the benedictiOns of {
| Christian mother. They may track Sibe
rian SHOWS, they may plunge in African
jungles, they may fly to the earth's end
! they cannot go SO far and so fast but the
prayers will keep up with them.
stand before women to-day who have
| the eternal salvation of their husbands in
their right hand. On the marriage-day you
took an oath before men and angels that
you would be faithful and kind until death
did you part, and believe you are going
to keep that oath but after that parting
at the door Of the grave will it be an eter-
nal separation? Is there any such thing as
an immortal marriage, making the flowers
that grow on the top of the sepulchre
brighter than the garlands which at the
marriage banquet flooded the air with
aroma Yes; stand here as priest of
the most high God to proclaim the banns of
an immortal union for all those who join
hands in the grace of Christ. 0, woman,
is your husband, your father, your son,
away from God? The Lord demands their
redemption at your hands. There are
prayers for you to offer, there are exhorta-
tions for you to give, there are examples
for you to- set, and say now, as Paul said
to the Corinthian woman, ''What knowest
thou, 0 woman, but thou canst save thy
husband ?''
A man was dying, and he said to his
wife: "Rebecca, you wouldn't let me have
family prayers and you laughed about all
that, and you got me away into worldli-
ness and now am going to die, and my
fate is sealed, and you are the cause of my
ruin p o, woman, what knowest thou
but thou canst destroy thy husband? Are
there not some here who have kindly in
fluences at home? Are there not some
here who have wandered far away from
God, who can remember the Christian in
fuences in their early home? Do not de-
spise those influences, my brother. If you
die without Christ, what will you do with
your mothers prayers, with your wife's
opportunities, with your sisters entreaties?
What will you do with the letters they
used to write to you. with the memory of
those days when they attended you so
kindly in times of sickness? Oh, if there
be Just one strand holding you from float
ing off on that dark sea, would just like
this morning to take bold of that strand
and pull you to the beach! For the sake of
your wife's God, for the sake of your
mothers God, for the sake of your daugh-
ter's God, for the sake of your sisters God,
come this day and be saved.
Lastly wish to say that one of the
specific rights of woman is, through the
grace of Christ, finally to reach heaven. o,
what multitude of women in heaven
Mary, Christ's mother, in heaven Eliza
beth Fry in heaven Charlotte Elizabeth
in heaven the mother of Augustine in
heaven the Countess of Huntingdon, who
sold her splendid jewels to build chapels,
in heaven while great many others who
have never been heard of on earth, or
known but little, have gone into the rest
and peace of heaven. What a rest! What
a change it was from the small room, with
no fire and one window, the glass broken
out, and the aching side, and wornout eyes,
to the 'fhouse of many mansionsp' No
more stitching until 10 o'clock at night, no
more thrusting Of the thumb by the en-
ployer through the work to show it was
not done quite right, Plenty of bread at
last. Heaven for aching heads. Heaven
for broken hearts. Heaven for anguish
bitten frames. No more sitting up until
midnight for the coming of staggering
steps. No more rough blows across the
temples. No more sharp, keen, bitter
curses. Some of you will have no rest in
this world. 1t will be toll and struggle
and suffering all the way up. You will
have to stand at your door fighting back
the wolf with your own hand, red with
carnage. But God has crown for you.-
| want to realize this morning that He is
now making it, and whenever you weep
tear He sets another gem in that crown,
whenever you have pang of body or soul,
He puts another gem in that crown, until,
after while, in all the tiara there will be
no room for another splendor, and God will
say to His angel "The crown is done !;
let her up that she may wear it." And as
the Lord of righteousness put the crown
upon your brow, angel will cry to angel
"Who is she?" and Christ will say 81
will tell you who she is. She is the one
that came out of great tribulation and had
her robe washed and made white in the
blood of the Lamb" And then God will
spread banquet, and he will invite all the
principalities Of heaven to sit at the feast !;
and the tables will blush with the best
clusters from the vineyards of God, and
crimson with the twelve manner of fruits
the fountains of the rock will flash from
the golden tankards and the old karpers
of heaven will sit there, making music with
their harps and Christ will point you out,
amid the celebrities of heaven, saying
''She suffered with Me on earth now we
are going to be glorlfied together" And
the banqueters, no longer able to hold their
peace, will break forth with congratula-
tion: "Hail hail p And there will be
handwritings on the wall-not such as
struck the Persian nobleman with horror
but fire-sipped fingers, writing in blazing
capitals of light, and love, and victory !:
''God hath wiped away oil tears from all
faces 20